Yet another Christmas has arrived and how I adore Christmas time.  I start playing Christmas music in November!  With a new home and new town decorating was new all over again.  I did feel a tiny bit of sadness, but just a tiny bit, as I brought out all my decorations and began to decorate this new place we call home.  I remembered the excitement I felt at decorating my own beautiful cottage in the Villages….but time marches on and life brings changes.  I am very happy living here so near to the ocean and the city!  But still there is occasionally that twinge of sadness.  But then don't holidays always bring a bit of melancholy?!  However, the sadness could not remain long as the house was tranformed with Christmas finery.  So many of my decorations hold deep sentimental value and have been used year after year.  And this year Jimmy and I bought a real tree, no artificial stuff when you live in Christmas tree land!!  It makes the house smell heavenly!  Now if only I could have all the girls and grands here for Christmas it would be perfect!!

Although we have both been really busy, we got out for more exploration and found this amazing nature area right here in the city…

My little girl is getting so grey.  How fun it was to wander through these bent and broken trees.  One of the things I love about Salem is that although it has all the amenities of a city, it is loaded with so many natural places to explore.

As the year comes to a close I am vowing once again to slow down my pace.  I often feel like a hamster on a wheel….spinning and spinning and getting nowhere.  The change of ownership at work has made for long days as a new model of operation is embraced with new (and improved) systems.  It is all good and will be a marked improvement, but most time intensive for a bit.  Since moving here my daily workouts at the gym are a memory of the past and my figure is showing it as is my health.  I just don't feel as good and find myself once again just grabbing whatever is easy and close by to eat, which at work is usually unhealthy!  My wonderful hubby makes me yummy dinners which I eat too much of…..  So looks like 2014 will need to be a repeat of 2012…focus on putting my health first.  As we all know, no one else can do it for us and if we don't make the priority it will never happen…

But it is the Christmas Season so no negative thoughts, just gratitude for all my blessings.  Merry Christmas to you and your loved ones may your blessings be many!!

Patricia